A total of 2,03,804 incidents of crimes against women, both under IPC and SLL, were recorded in the country during 2009 compared to 1,95,856 during 2008, registering an increase 4.1 per cent in 2009. Such crimes increased continuously over the five years ending December 2009. Andhra Pradesh, accounting for 7.1 per cent of country’s population, recorded the highest 12.5 per cent of total crimes against women in 2009 reporting altogether 25,569 cases followed by Uttar Pradesh with 11.4 per cent of total such crimes, reporting 23,254 cases in 2009. U.P. accounts for 16.6 per cent share of the nation’s population. The rate of crime increased marginally from 17 during the year 2008 to 17.4 during 2009. Tripura recorded the highest rate of crimes against women at 42.5 per cent during 2009.

Apart from the general crimes like murders, robbery and cheating, which cover both men and women, crimes directed specifically against women fall under two categories, the first being the IPC and the second the SLL. The crimes under the IPC comprise rape, kidnapping, abduction for specified purposes, homicide for dowry, dowry deaths or their attempts, torture—both mental and physical, molestation, sexual harassment and importation of girls up to 21 years of age. The other crimes against women come under the SLL, the gender specific laws, for which crime statistics are recorded throughout the country. These laws comprise the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, 1956, the Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961, the Child Marriage Restraint Act, 1929, the Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act, 1986, and the Commission of Sati (Prevention) Act, 1887.

The Government of India in the Ministry of Home Affairs has taken several administrative actions like preventive, protective and precautionary measures including Advisory to the States and Union Territories to ensure that crimes against women are checked meaningfully and effectively. Accordingly, all State Governments and Union Territory Administrations have been advised to take comprehensive review of the effectiveness of the machinery for ensuring security and safety of women and control of crimes against them in the country.

The States and Union Territories have been directed to enforce the existing legislations vigorously and implement proper enforcement of law and convictions in crimes related to women. Administration and police have been asked to play a more proactive role in detection and investigation of crimes against women, while ensuring that there is no under reporting. Other measures advised include increasing the over all representation of women in police forces, sensitizing the law enforcement machinery to crimes against women through well structured and awareness programmes, meetings, seminars etc. at all levels of police, personnel and other functionaries administering the criminal justice system, avoiding delay, whatsoever, in registration of FIR in all cases of crimes against women, exhibiting helpline numbers of the crime against women cells prominently in hospitals, schools, colleges and other prominent public places, and setting up exclusive Crime Against Women and Children Desk in each police station and the Special Women Police Cells in the police stations and all women police thanas

As for improving safety conditions for women on roads, States and Union Territories have been asked to take suitable steps to increase number of police help booths and kiosks, especially in remote and lonely stretches, increase police patrolling during night,, increase number of women police personnel in the mobile police vans, set up telephone booths for easy access to police, install people friendly street lights on all roads, lonely stretches and alleys, and ensure that street lights are working properly and efficiently. The States and Union Territories have also been asked to take special steps for security of women working in night shifts of call centres. The State Governments and Union Territory Administrations have been advised to ensure that all police stations display the names and other details of Protection Officers of the area appointed under the Domestic Violence (Prevention) Act, 2005. Besides, all Central Government, State Government, Union Territory Administration offices, corporate offices both in private and public sectors, educational institutions of all denominations, hospitals and hospitality sector are under instructions of the Government of India to have Sexual Harassment Committees as a standing watch-dog to ensure security and protection of women following the Supreme Court judgment of 1997 in Vishakha case. The Centre has also advised the States and Union Territories to avail themselves of various sensitization programmes conducted by the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D) under the Ministry of Home Affairs for police personnel of all categories for prevention of crimes against women, children and other vulnerable sections of the society.

It has been seen that Constitution or no Constitution, law or no law, civilization or no civilization, ethics or no ethics, morality or no morality, crimes against women are a fact of life throughout the history of mankind. What is needed are exemplary deterrent action against such crimes, effective enforcement of laws and gender sensitization of people in all walks of life and behvioural quotient especially those concerned with law enforcement agencies!